Content Marketing for Boomers: Tips and Strategies

It seems like there’s a new article written every minute about content marketing to millennials—but what if you’re trying to reach a slightly more mature audience?

A couple of important truths: One, while members of the Boomer generation may not be “digital natives,” that hardly means they don’t use the Web or turn to Google searches to research purchasing decisions. And two, if your company sells products to Boomers, it’s smart to reach out to them through content marketing—yet the methods you use won’t always mirror the ones you’d apply to target millennials and Gen X-ers.

Format Properly

One major factor to consider is formatting. With all due apologies for the generalization, there are many Boomers who might have trouble reading smaller fonts or cluttered layouts. It’s vital to use larger fonts and allow plenty of white space in your content, and to make sure that your articles and blog posts are easy to read across all device types.

Speak Their Language

Language is always relevant to the community of speakers; so, what may be a really well-known slang term or Internet abbreviation among millennials may mean something totally different to Boomers. If you’re writing to an older crowd, make sure your language doesn’t skew teenage. Spend some time listening to your customers to get a sense of how they communicate.

Use the Appropriate Tone

Boomers may not have the same built-in affinity for Internet technology that younger people do, but they’re not dumb, either. You don’t have to be condescending in your content writing, nor pause to explain Web basics that everyone already knows. Be judicious about when you offer explanation, and when you keep things straightforward.

Write Headlines That Convey Value

This is arguably a good tactic for any marketing efforts, but it’s especially true of Boomers: Clickbait methods don’t work nearly as well as you might think they do, so instead of bait-and-switching your readers with a provocative headline, focus on something that offers plain value. Does your article offer tips for preventing frozen pipes? Good titles might be How to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing or even, well, Tips for Preventing Frozen Pipes.

Promote Wisely

Once you create your content, you need to promote it—but which platform should you use for doing so? Research confirms that Facebook’s demographics tend to skew a bit older, while newer channels—such as Snapchat—may not have caught on with more mature adults just yet. Make sure you do your promotion on platforms where you know your audience can be found.

Marketing to the Right Audience

No matter who makes up your target audience, it’s important to tailor your content marketing to meet them where they live.